Celestis chooses Moon Express to host next lunar memorial spaceflight

MoonEx has received final approval from the United States government to conduct a commercial mission to the Moon.

MoonEx is a privately funded commercial space company blazing a trail to the Moon to unlock its mysteries and resources with low cost robotic spacecraft products & services using exponential technologies.

Driven by long-term goals of exploring and developing lunar resources for the benefit of humanity, the company has short-term business on-ramps of providing lunar transportation and services for government and commercial customers.

NASA partnered with Moon Express in 2014 under its Lunar CATALYST program to help build the capability to return the United States to the surface of the Moon. In 2016, Moon Express announced an agreement with the US Air Force to utilize Cape Canaveral Launch Complexes 17 and 18 for the development of its spacecraft.

MoonEx's founders, Dr. Robert (Bob) Richards, Naveen Jain, and Dr. Barney Pell, believe in the long term economic potential of the Moon to produce resources essential to humanity's future on Earth and in space.

Honored Participants

A wide variety of people will fly on board the Celestis Luna 02 Memorial Spaceflight, such as:

Mareta West, the lunar geologist at NASA who determined the crucial site for the first landing on the moon;

Robert Selin, an engineer with a distinguished career in aerospace;

Raymond Merling, a steelworker from Maryland;

Marj Krueger, who worked at NASA and became a science fiction author;

Robert Gable, an airline executive;

Timothy Heaps, an engineer who worked on the International Space Station and at NASA JPL on the Mars Rover;

Brian Ford, a British math teacher;

Joanne Egli, an American high school chemistry teacher;

Charley Durasa, a public relations professional;

Mayo Broussard, a California businessman.

Click here to read the stories of the people whose lives will be commemorated on Celestis Luna 02.

What People Are Saying

"The Moon is a part of human culture, and our partnership with Celestis will help connect people to the Moon on an even more personal level."-- Bob Richards, co-founder and CEO, Moon Express, Inc.

"It is an honor for his four daughters to be able to make his wish come true and to be able to send him to the Moon. We, his daughters, other family members, and friends that knew him, miss him deeply and we wish him Godspeed on his journey '… to where no man has gone before.'”-- The Family of Robert Gable

"It is fitting that Bob will make it into space. We will look towards the heavens, up to the Moon, and know he is peaceful and watching over us."-- The Family of Bob Selin

Contact Us to make a reservation for the Celestis Luna 02 memorial spaceflight.